Tommy Potter

{{Short description|American jazz double bassist (1918–1988)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Tommy Potter

| image = Tommy Potter (jazz double bassist) (cropped).jpg

| image_upright = 0.85

| caption = Potter in 1947

| background = non_vocal_instrumentalist

| birth_name = Charles Thomas Potter

| birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1918|09|21}}

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1988|03|01|1918|09|21}}

| genre = Jazz

| occupation = Musician

| instrument = Double bass

| years_active =

| associated_acts = Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Billy Eckstine

}}

Charles Thomas Potter (September 21, 1918 – March 1, 1988){{cite book|title=The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Guinness Publishing|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=1982}} was an American jazz double bass player, best known for having been a member of Charlie Parker's "classic quintet", with Miles Davis, between 1947 and 1950.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Potter had first played with Parker in 1944, in Billy Eckstine's band with Dizzy Gillespie, Lucky Thompson and Art Blakey.[http://www.puredesmond.ca/pdbird.htm Paul Desmond Interviews Charlie Parker] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706194036/http://www.puredesmond.ca/pdbird.htm |date=July 6, 2011 }} Retrieved June 28, 2013.

Potter also performed and recorded with many other notable jazz musicians, including Earl Hines, Artie Shaw, Bud Powell, Count Basie, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, Max Roach, Eddie Heywood, Tyree Glenn, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Buck Clayton and Charles Lloyd.